There have been a variety of toughness testing methods used on knives themselves as opposed to measuring steel properties. Here is a summary of the published studies: Tests of Knife Edge Toughness

Grain refinement has been promoted by many knifemakers as a way to achieve super steel properties. I describe the process in Austenitizing Part 3 (see under the Heat Treatment category). This article is all about how grain refinement changes properties: How Does Grain Refinement Lead to Improved Properties?

Edge stability is a bit difficult to understand without a good background about what it is. Essentially it is a combination of both strength and toughness for avoiding both rolling and chipping. What properties provide better edge stability? Which steels are more stable?

Cutting ability and sharpness are not the same thing. Edge geometry matters independent of sharpness for cutting. Also I define what sharpness is, because I bet you don’t know: Sharpness vs Cutting Ability

Rating Steel Properties

There are a lot of articles out there with ratings and rankings for the various knife steels to know which is better than which. Do they know what they are talking about? Or are they using random number generators and fancy bar charts? Find out in Ranking the Steel Ranking Articles

Damascus Steel has been around for centuries, and there are a lot of myths all about it. There are two types called pattern-welded and wootz. Find answers to questions like whether damascus cuts longer than “normal” steels: Five Myths About Damascus Steel

Stainless Steel was invented pretty shortly after the explosion of new tool steels and high speed steels in the early 1900’s. There were several people working on stainless steel in the same time period, but the man who first produced it commercially was particularly interesting, because The First Stainless Steel was for Knives

Want to know how powder metallurgy works? How is it made? How does it improve steel? Are there videos? Yes, yes there are: What is Powder Metallurgy?

I wrote about the history of carbon and stainless steel in knives. Who used stainless steel first? Why did stainless steel have a poor reputation? I interviewed several interesting people including the late, great A.G. Russell (RIP) to understand the history of custom knives: Carbon vs Stainless Steel in Knives

There is an interesting Youtube channel where a guy makes knives out of weird materials like chocolate, wood, Jello, and conch shells. What can we learn about knife materials from his videos?The Sharpest Youtube Channel in the World